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Social Panorama of Latin America 2005

The 2005 edition of the Social Panorama of Latin America analyses recent poverty trends and the increase in migrant remittances, together with their impact on the well-being of the region's population. The analysis seeks to explore the question as to whether the demographic transition taking place in the Latin American countries over the past 15 years has helped to narrow the long-standing gaps between different socio-economic groups' and areas' mortality and birth rates. Attention is also drawn to the magnitude of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Caribbean countries and to the reversal of its skewed gender distribution, which has had a devastating impact on households and the community at large. Finally, this edition looks at major changes in the health sector.

Perception of health problems by the authorities

The main health problems mentioned by the authorities include the high morbidity and mortality rate in children, infectious vector–borne diseases, chronic degenerative diseases and injuries and death due to external causes. The countries assign different levels of priority to the problems mentioned in view of the different levels of coverage and quality of health care offered to their populations and the different stages of demographic and epidemiological transition they have reached.